Medicine Hat runner set to represent Canada at Backyard Ultra World Team Championship

“You can run really fast and then have a 20-minute break, or you could run slow and have a one-minute break,” Harder said.

“The idea is you run as fast or as slow as you want. You just have to get the 6.7 kilometres done every hour and be ready to go the next hour.”

The race continues until runners are eliminated by failing to complete a loop in the allotted time, choosing to stop or, ultimately, until one runner remains.

The math adds up quickly. Completing 24 loops means running 160.8 kilometres, or 100 miles.

Harder’s 42-loop performance in Lethbridge amounted to about 281 kilometres, or 175 miles, and was enough to place him among the top qualifying performances during the two-year qualification period.

The world team championship is held every two years, alternating with an individual world championship.

For the team event, each country has up to 15 runners. The athletes start their loops at the same time, with each country’s total number of completed loops added together at the end.

“The team with the highest total loops around is the world team championship, or world team champion,” Harder said.

This year’s competition will be the fourth world championship held in the team format.

Harder said his introduction to long-distance running came after back surgery in 2017.

“I started walking as part of rehab from back surgery,” Harder said.

“Then just kind of like walking, I learned that I kind of like just being outside, spending time on the trails,” he added.

“And then walking led to jogging lightly and then led to a 10K, to the marathon and then up through 50K and 200-mile race.”

He eventually discovered the Backyard Ultra format online and decided to try a race in Lethbridge.

“It was kind of like it had a few viral moments there,” he said.

“And I was like, ‘Oh, it’s kind of cool.’”

Harder said the format requires a different approach than traditional distance races.

Because the pace is relatively low, maintaining nutrition, hydration and consistency become key parts of the challenge.

“You’ve got to keep eating, keep drinking,” he said.

“And then, you know, as you start going through the night, you’ve got to be able to squeeze in those five-, six-minute naps when you can, after you finish your loop.”

The mental aspect can be just as demanding.

“Especially through the night, when it’s dark out, you start questioning, like, What am I doing out here? This is silly,” Harder said.

“And you get a little bored with it, and you lose focus on it. That’s a huge aspect — probably the distance between your two ears is one of the toughest distances to conquer in this race.”

Harder typically aims to complete each loop in roughly 49 to 52 minutes, giving him several minutes to eat, drink, change clothes or shoes and prepare for the next start.

His wife will accompany him to the world championship, along with a friend who will help with his support during the race.

Harder plans to arrive in Sicamous on the Thursday before the competition. The race begins at 5 a.m. that Saturday.

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(Image Credit: Submitted Photo)

A support crew can be critical in the Backyard Ultra format, he said, particularly as the race stretches into the night and potentially lasts for multiple days.

Harder’s personal best stands at 42 hours, but he said he finished that race feeling like he had more left in the tank.

“When I did 42, I definitely had more in the tank. I was feeling good when that ended,” he said.

“So, looking to improve for sure.”

The current world record for the Backyard Ultra format is 119 hours, according to Harder.

The scale of the upcoming event means Harder will be competing alongside some of the world’s top Backyard Ultra runners.

The Canadian team includes competitors from across the country, including one runner from Lethbridge whom Harder competed against in the Old Man Backyard Ultra he won.

Harder said the opportunity to represent Canada is exciting, but he is also looking forward to seeing how far he can push his own performance.

“This will be a good opportunity to really see how long I can run for and see what I can get that number up to,” he said.

The event will be streamed online through Lewiston Ultra Events’ YouTube channel, with updates also available through its social media channels.

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(Image Credit: Submitted Photo)

Harder is also encouraging local runners interested in trying the Backyard Ultra format to consider the Old Man Backyard Ultra in Lethbridge, which returns in May 2027.

The event raises money for a youth centre in Lethbridge, and registration recently opened.

Harder said the format can offer achievable goals for runners of different abilities.

“Everybody has their own goals, right?” he said.

“Six hours gets you across that marathon distance. So that’s a really common goal people have in these types of races.”

For Harder, the next goal is considerably longer — and it begins with one 6.7-kilometre loop at a time.

by Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat runner set to represent Canada at Backyard Ultra World Team Championship

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